Internal-combustion engine



Sept. 30, 1947. w. L. WUEHR ZAZJ INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Sept. 15, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 u? I M! 'l W. L. WUEHR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Sept. 15. 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 r 0 f H U V l I I Spt. 30, 1947.

W. L. WUEHR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 15, 1945 Inventor MIEHR a Amm evs z MM LAWRENCE Patented Sept. 30, 1947 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE p 1 This invention relates to an internal combustion engine of the opposed piston Diesel-type. and the primary object of the invention is to provide a smooth running engine of this kind capable of developing relatively great power. More particularly, the present invention contemplates, in an engine of the above kind, the provision of a drive shaft having fly-wheel'cam drums thereon, each cam-drum receiving driving impulses at four spaced points from two pairs of opposed pistons in the operation of the engine. A further object of the invention consists in providing the cam drums with peripheral cam 4 Claims. (oi. 123-51) able source of supply of fuel oil under pressure. As is conventional in the art, each cylinder will have the usual air intake and exhaust ports.

A drive shaft 9, preferably of tubular form, so that a cooling medium may be circulated therethrough, has its axis extending transverse to the axes and centrally of the cylinders 6.

, The drive shaft is arranged between the pairs grooves so designed that each cam drum receives two driving impulses from each pair of associated pistons for each revolution of the drive shaft.

' A still further object of the invention is to provide, in an engine ofthe above kind, a novel arrangement of cylinders relative to a drive shaft having cam drums thereon, and novel driving mechanism between opposed pistons Of.the cylinders and the cam'drums including walking beams, each operatively connected to corresponding pistonsoftwo cylinders.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whicht Figure 1 is a top plan view of an engine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal of cylinders so that one pair of each set is disposed above the shaft and the other pair of each set is disposed below the shaft. A fly-wheel cam drum it having a peripheral cam groove II is secured on the drive shaft between the cylinders of the pmrs of eachset. Opposed pistons ilare provided in each cylinder and cooperate with each other in the innermost positions thereof to form a combustion chamber therebetween. Walking beams l3 are provided at opposite ends of each pair of cylinders, and the ends of each walking beam are connected to corresponding pistons of a pair of cylinders. Concentric rock shafts i4 and ii are mounted at opposite sides of each cam drum between the cylinders of the pairs, being journaled at It (Figure 4) in bearings carried by opposed walls of casing 5, and the outer rock shaft It being journaled on said inner rock shaft it. One walking beam I3 is fixed on each one of the concentric shafts it and I5, and an arm I1 is fixed on each one of said concentric shafts and projects into the cam groove ll of section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and partly broken away.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 and drawn on a reduced scale.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view partly inside elevation and partly in vertical section, with the engine: partly broken away and drawn on a reduced scale.

' Figure 6 is a fragmentary section drawn on the same scale as Figure 5 and taken on line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but with the pistons in different positions.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the engine is illustrated as including a suitable casing 5 within which are suitably mounted a plurality of sets of cylinders 6 which are parallel and open at their opposite ends. Each set of cylinders includes two pairs, and there are four sets of cylinders in the engine shown. Each cylinder has a central fuel injection valve 1 communicatin with a fuel oil supply line 8 leading from a suitupper cylinder the=associated cam drum it. The. connection of the ends of the walking beams with the pistons is effected byswinging-connecting rods it. It is noted that firing order of the upper pairsof cylinders is 15-3-'1--2-6-4-8, while that of the lower cylinders is 2-6-'4-8-1-;-5-3'l. It will be apparent that, by reason of the construction and arrangement shown and described. charges will be simultaneously ignited in an of each set at one side of the associated cam drum and-in a'lower cylinder of that set at the opposite side of saidcam drum. There being opposed pistons in each cylinder, the

associated fly-wheel cam drum on the drive shaft will simultaneously receive driving impulses at four spaced points from two pairs of opposed pistons. The arrangement insures a relatively smooth running engine capable of developing relatively great power, and this is enhanced by so designing the cam groove of each cam drum that two impulses are received by the cam drum from each pair of pistons for each revolution of the drive shaft. At the right side, the arms I! and walking beams I! are secured on the same the inner rock shaft l5 same concentric rock shafts.

acaenoc shaft. and such is true with respect to the lower left hand arms I! and walking beams l3, as in Figure 4. The upper left hand arms I! however,

are secured on the outer shaft I4 and the adjacent upper walking beams l3 are secured on the inner shaft 15 and project through circumi'erentially extending arcuate slots provided at 19 in the associated outer shaft ll.

As the present invention is not specifically concerned with the fuel supply system and its parts, the same is not specifically shown or described herein and may be of any well known or preferred kind. The same also applies to the lubricating system, scavaging arrangement, etc. Antifriction bearings for the shaft 9 may be provided at opposite sides of each cam drum it as indicated at 20, which bearings may be suitably sustained by the casing 5 or the cylinders 6, or both. As.

shown more clearly in Figure 5, it will be apparent that a walking beam is provided at each end of each pair of cylinders, the walking beams at corresponding ends of the upper and lower pairs of cylinders of each set being mounted on the As is also shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the pistons of a cylinder of one pair are in their innermost positions, the

pistons in the cylinder of the other pair directly therebelow are in their outermost positions, and vice versa. By using a plurality of sets of cylinders, and setting the various cam drums in different positions, a substantially continuous drive for the drive shaft may be eifected so as to secure an extremely smooth running engine almost free from vibration and generating relatively great power.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Minor changes may be made in the number, arrangement and form of parts illustrated and described, such as fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine of the Diesel-type, at least two pairs of parallel cylinders open at their opposite ends, each of said cylinders having a central fuel injection valve, a drive shaft having its axis extending transverse to the axes of and located in a plane centrally between the ends of the cylinders and in a plane between the pairs of cylinders, a cam drum secured on the drive between the cylinders of the pairs and having a peripheral cam groove, opposed pistons in each cylinder cooperating with each other -in the innermost positions thereof to form a combustion chamber therebetween, walking beams at opposite ends of each pair of cylinders, the ends of each walking beam being connected to corresponding pistons of a pair of cylinders, concentric rock shafts at opposite sides of the cam drum between the cylinders of the pairs, one walking beam being fixed on each one of said concentric shafts,

and an arm fixed on each one or said concentric shafts and projecting freely into the cam groove of the cam drum.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein the arms engage the groove of the cam drum at four substantially equally spaced points, and wherein the cam groove of the cam drum is designed so that two impulses are received by the cam drum from each pair of pistons for each revolution of the drive shaft.

3. ,The construction defined in claim 1, in combination with a casing enclosing the cylinders and walking beams, the inner ones of said concentric shafts being journaled in opposed walls of the casing and having the outer shafts journaled thereon.

ders open at their opposite ends, there being two pairs of cylinders in each set, each of said cylinders having a central fuel injection valve, a drive shaft having its axis extending transverse to the axes of and located in a plane centrally between the ends of the cylinders and in a plane between the pairs of cylinders, a cam drum secured on the drive shaft between the cylinders of the pairs of each set and having a peripheral cam groove, opposed pistons in each cylinder cooperating with each other in the innermost positions thereof to form a combustion chamber therebetween, walking beams at opposite ends of each pair of cylinders, the ends of each walking beam being connected to corresponding pistons of a pair of cylinders, concentric rook shafts at opposite sides of each cam drum between the cylinders of the pairs, one walking beam being fixed on each one of said concentric shafts, and an arm fixed on each one of said concentric shafts and projecting into the cam groove of the as- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 699,503 Durr May 6, 1902 1,447,127 Enderby Feb. 27, 1923 2,067,049 Goldberg Jan. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 422,113 France 1911 

